Mirrors of Desire; part two: Marc Gafni

cont’d

The Hebrew word for decree which I have inserted in the parentheses in the text is
But this enslaved individual, whom we moderns recognize so well, has lost touch with the erotics of desire. The wonder of being on the inside — the sense of yearning which goes beyond passing sexual need, the sense of the erotic sexual that softens the harsh dividing lines of existence and allows us to feel the interconnectivity of being — all these are virtually lost to modern men and women. So the myth invites us back into desire as a way of counteracting Pharaoh’s decree. Raw lust is not foreign to the experience of the slave. However the playful desire which arouses union between committed partners- this is the mark of freedom.

The Hebrew word for decree which I have inserted in the parentheses in the text is Gazar. Gazar has a double meaning — it means decree, as well as cutting or ripping away. Pharaoh’s decrees rip people from the erotic womb of being. The women, symbolizing the dual erotic symbol of womb and passion, reconnect us to the our sense of dignity and the possibility of possibility which we have all but forgotten. The sexual in this story models the eros of freedom.

marc gafni
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